"Very European" MSC - what is this European-ness?

[Skipper Tim]

I keep reading that MSC is "very European". Being English, I find the term "very European" very odd especially when applied to an Italian cruise line.

 

The diversity of cultures within the UK is already great before even crossing the English Channel to the Continent. What is this Europeanness? What do the Germans have in common with the Greeks, the Swedish with the Spanish, the Irish with the Italians, the British with the Belgians or the Albanians with the Austrians? I have been scratching my head but all I can think of is that none of us is North American.

 

We all have different cuisines, eat at different times, speak different languages, have different musics, dance differently, dress differently, have different politics, traditions, histories, manners and mannerisms. We have different heights, colours, flags and religions. The scenery varies from ice to desert and everything in between.

 

I have travelled to Miami, New York and Atlanta and found it all worryingly familiar compared to going 10 miles from my home in Yorkshire and crossing 'The Border' into Lancashire where they eat dried blood (black pudding) and speak words I have never heard before in an unapproachable accent.

 

As English, British and European all I can understand by the term "very European" is "very diverse".

 

Perhaps, instead of "very European", "non-American" would be more apt?

 

Thoughts?

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

LOL, very much a case of different cultures like different things.

 

Some like Continental Breakfast, and others like English Breakfast...

[AmoMondo]

I'd say you were spot on with suggesting non American would be better than very European. As a Scot, Brit and European, I agree there is a huge amount of diversity within Europe, even within my own country. I just have to travel 5 miles south of Edinburgh where I live to encounter different accents, culture and tradition!

 

As far as describing MSC, I'd say very Italian in style, organisation, cuisine etc. As for passengers, a delightful melting pot of almost all nationalities.

[Skipper Tim]

As far as describing MSC, I'd say very Italian in style, organisation, cuisine etc. As for passengers, a delightful melting pot of almost all nationalities.

 

That is most reassuring AmoMondo!

 

I learned Italian in Turin and worked in Milan for a few months many years ago. I am looking forward to refreshing my Italian and to the Italian flavour on board. Thinking of Italian organisation, there are two slang expressions that I recall. The first, milder, is "che salata!", literally "what a salad!". The second, only to be used in extremely chaotic situations, is "che casino!", literally "what a brothel!". It is hard to forget expressions like those and the Milanese used them, with good cause, all the time :-)

[papcx]

That is most reassuring AmoMondo!

 

I learned Italian in Turin and worked in Milan for a few months many years ago. I am looking forward to refreshing my Italian and to the Italian flavour on board. Thinking of Italian organisation, there are two slang expressions that I recall. The first, milder, is "che salata!", literally "what a salad!". The second, only to be used in extremely chaotic situations, is "che casino!", literally "what a brothel!". It is hard to forget expressions like those and the Milanese used them, with good cause, all the time :-)

 

You won't get much use of your Italian.

 

Start brushing up on your Indonesian.

 

Regards,

[Alex71]

Perhaps, instead of "very European", "non-American" would be more apt?

quote]

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here. Many of the complaints of the "worst cruise ever" crowd seem to be around distinct American features they did not find on MSC (tap water not being served automatically with the meals, waiters not pretending to be the best buddies of the passengers, coffee after dinner in the lounge rather than at the table, availability / qualitiy of typical American dishes).

 

Having said that, food and design clearly are Italian and MSC is European by acknowledging the different cultures and languages on board. On an American ship, everyone would be expected to speak English. In a way, the multi-lingual staff brought back memories of the RIU and Iberostar resorts in Spain, where we stayed when I was a kid. "Good evening, guten Abend, bon soir, buenas noches".

[AmoMondo]

Organisation is a bit chaotic - those Milanese expressions made me laugh.

 

As for practising your Italian, no problem. All the senior crew, reception etc are all Italian as are a lot of the passengers

[camofwilliamsburg]

I would add: Theaters are for shows: no drinking or food.

Service staff do not bombard you all day asking for drink orders around the pool area.

Dining is slow and you are allowed to dine!

 

MSC is wonderful. The melting pot of nationalities makes it much different from the usual cruise lines we have sailed on. We love the staff interaction with the passengers. they have time to chat, to get you involved with the games. They dance with you....like the olden days of cruising.

 

MSC is refreshing and a total experience.

[Daniela32]

What's the good european waiter?

 

He smiles to you without showing his theets. :D

You can talk about sex while he is serving because he's kind of invisible.

He is not comming to your table constantly asking if you need something... but when you need him, he is near and you just rase your hand and he is comminig. If you need another round of the same drinks, you just point the circle mark with your finger, and your drinks are comming.

 

Beeing friend with your waiter is possible if you have your Cheers caffe in neiborhoud. This is only if you meet this person every day (or at least very often). This waiter can smile to you with his theets, and he can ask you personal questions. Thiskind of waiter / person can be found on MSC if you cruise freequently with the same ship.

 

When I came to USA NY long time ago, for a month in a Long Island university, I was scared with american service. The guy who sold me train tickets to Manhattan asked me to marry him, the guy in a boutique shoe shop asked me if I have a chewing gum, the lady in a small nice jewish restaurant called me "my child" (I was 24 years old) etc. It took some time for me realise it was an American way and nothing personal.

 

What's common for us in Europe, no metter if it is Germany, Croatia or Italy, is that people who serve you have distance approach.

[Skipper Tim]

What's the good european waiter?

 

He is not comming to your table constantly asking if you need something... but when you need him, he is near and you just rase your hand and he is comminig. If you need another round of the same drinks, you just point the circle mark with your finger, and your drinks are comming.

 

What's common for us in Europe, no metter if it is Germany, Croatia or Italy, is that people who serve you have distance approach.

 

I think you make an excellent point. My single biggest critism of Royal Caribbean was the non-stop 'in-your-face' salesmanship and fake pleasantries from the staff. I know it is part of their training but after a 24 night repositioning cruise with them, if I had heard another "have a nice day" or being offered another over-priced drink I would have swotted the offending member of staff like a fly and faced the consequences.

 

I am immensely releived to hear that MSC is not like that.

 

I beleive good service is discrete if not invisible. Does that make me very European or non-American?

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

If you need another round of the same drinks, you just point the circle mark with your finger, and your drinks are comming.

I have never heard of the circle mark, is it a European thing? (I have lived in other countries besides US, but definitely have not heard of this before :) ).

[AmoMondo]

I have never heard of the circle mark, is it a European thing? (I have lived in other countries besides US, but definitely have not heard of this before :) ).

Think she means you just draw an imaginary circle above your empty glasses to indicate, "same again please"

[Skipper Tim]

Think she means you just draw an imaginary circle above your empty glasses to indicate, "same again please"

 

Yes, as in "another round". Like 'writing' lines on the hand with a finger to ask for the bill (obviously not on a cruise ship) these are gestures that can be done because you know the staff are watching but are keeping an appropriate distance.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

:o, lol, I got it now, thanks everyone.

[LukeSkywalker]

One more difference I would like to point out. As many languages are spoken in Europe, the shows in the theatre basically are dancing, singing, circus shows. Nothing that includes too much talking, so that everyone can enjoy irrespective of the language(s) he can understand. That's quite different on North American cruises: much more based on speaking.

[The_Big_M]

 

Perhaps, instead of "very European", "non-American" would be more apt?

 

But then it could be very Australian, very African, very Asian...

 

I believe all of these are different from, and couldn't be classed as fitting into the MSC experience either, so I don't think "non-American" is accurate.

[Daniela32]

My english is obviously rusty if I need couple of further explanation of "what writter relly meant". :lol My defence is that I wasn't using my english for last 10 years since I've changed my job (only local customers now). Yes, I should use word descrete instead of distant or invisible (god, now I'm ashamed :o).

 

Anyway, I believe there is such a thing as "european" despite all the differences between our cultures and nations. At least when we talk about sophisticated manners in tourism and life in general.

[Skipper Tim]

My english is obviously rusty if I need couple of further explanation of "what writter relly meant". :lol My defence is that I wasn't using my english for last 10 years since I've changed my job (only local customers now). Yes, I should use word descrete instead of distant or invisible (god, now I'm ashamed :o).

 

Anyway, I believe there is such a thing as "european" despite all the differences between our cultures and nations. At least when we talk about sophisticated manners in tourism and life in general.

 

If we native English speakers were able communicate, in written form no less, in other languages then we too would be engaging in online forums in languages other than our mother tongue.

 

Besides, you made the first real contribution to answering the question in the thread title "What is this European-ness?". "Distant" is what European service is, not just physically but in many other ways too. You are spot on. I prefer it like that. To me that is professional and discrete rather than casual and fake-friendly. Then I am European and perhaps no matter how much I travel I will always feel like this.

 

Then you added "sophisticated". Of course I love this. I have stayed in hotels where a majority of the guests have been Russian. I certainly felt sophisticated then. Didn't they kill the sophisticated Russians? But that is another story, another thread, another forum.

 

I now realise I am a typical European: I have good manners, I am sophisticated, I expect service to be discrete, I like to wear suits on my holidays and I am poor:)

[monicajay]

What's common for us in Europe, no matter if it is Germany, Croatia or Italy, is that people who serve you have distance approach.

 

Yes, part of the 'Europeaness' is definitely the very different approach to service.

 

Also, often dining times are later and service is less rushed, read-you can't get in and out of the dining room in an hour. Type of entertainment is different, read- less language based. Menu items have a more European flair, items like cheese plate on the dessert list and artichokes in the salad bar.

 

On the two ships I have been on even the decor had a European 'chic' air to it.

 

Add to this. the client mix with passengers from many different countries and a host of different languages being heard all over the ship it just feels very different from the other cruise lines we have been on. The clients also seemed more normal sized than on some of the other lines we have traveled on and we didn't see anybody trying to get in the MDR with shorts and baseball caps.

 

The gelato by the pool is just another touch that to me makes gives this line its European flair.

 

To the OP. Hope this helps you understand why many of us think this.

 

Can't wait!

[Skipper Tim]

The clients also seemed more normal sized than on some of the other lines we have traveled on and we didn't see anybody trying to get in the MDR with shorts and baseball caps.

 

LOL!

 

I had the benefit of several of John Maxtone-Graham's lectures on the QE2. He gave almost an entire lecture on his single biggest loathing on cruise ships (and ocean liners) - baseball caps!

 

We left Southampton in thick fog with hundreds of people waving and the Salvation Army band playing us off from the quayside. It was the start of the QE2's world cruise. When we arrived in New York in the wee hours, John Maxtone-Graham talked us in over the ship's P.A. system as we passed the statue of liberty and docked in Manhatten for the QE2's last time. I love journeys.

 

When we sailed on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Sea, we were impressed at how smart the ship was compared to the QE2 but absolutely hated the constant hard-sell, fake-pleasantries of the staff and ridiculously high prices. Going with the Allegrissimo all-inclusive package on this reassuringly 'European' line feels right for us.

Can't wait!

 

Neither can I!

[Daniela32]

Thank you Tim, i feel much better. :) Afterall, I've learned English in school, and 1 month in Hastings UK, and 1 month in NY. And I'm not using it anymore proffesionally.

 

Tim, I agree with everything you said, but i cannot agree that you're poor! :lol Poor people are not cruising, especially from Europe to Brasil. Cruise may be affordable, but all expenses involved are really high and poor people can only dream about it (like me in this moment). I'm paying almost double rate for my hypo loan, because I took the loan in Swiss Franks (which went into sky meanwhile!). My husbend had succesfull firm (air-conditioning, ventilation, hot water, pool heating...). Now he almost have nothing to do in this crysis. So, ANY cruise is impossible for us right now. So we are poor now (hahaha, not comparing to hunger in Africa). But we still go to restaurants, at least that. :)